.

Ken & Corrinne

VENDORS : Village Hotel Changi

2017/07/24

Share :




Sometimes love just happens
We met online.  I was happily single.  My friend nagged me into giving this whole ‘love’ thing another try but I was lazy – very lazy.  I could not be asked to dress up and put myself out there just to meet someone or even some blind dating thing.  I love my tees and shorts too much.  I did not have the desire to meet someone so online was the easiest option. Ha!  Not a pleasant experience overall but that’s where I met this bald guy with a miniature schnauzer.  We started chatting, have a common interest in pool and snooker, and enjoyed the conversations.  We finally met up over his favourite Wanton Mee and that was that!




Chicken scratching & perfect fit 
I’ve never been and never will be the Vera Wong type. I was very budget-conscious but I had an idea of the dress design I wanted, and was very particular about one thing and one thing only – the construction of the bodice.  I also knew that I only wanted one dress.  So after I chicken-scratched out my idea, I mulled for a long, long time.

The search for the right fit was a despondent one.  But thanks to a friend’s recommendation, I narrowed it down to Michelle Huimin of Bridal Veil.  I’ll be honest here:  I was 50% sold after I snooped about the website and saw that she had two Golden Retrievers.  Anyone with two retrievers will surely understand the mad bride who places the presence of her two big dogs at her wedding with utmost importance.  But seriously, I also loved her designs.  The construction and details were pretty much right up my alley.




ONE dress
It was nerve wrecking presenting my idea to Michelle, but lo and behold, she loved my dress idea!  So five fittings later, what started out as ‘just a simple, short dress’ ended up with a French Laced bodice (the husband did indicate he likes lace), some Swarovski beaded on and a pretty poofy French tulle skirt.  I personally loved it and it was fun.  From there, we added on a really long veil, which acted as a train and post solemnisation, an attachment piece on the back to create a sassy train.

One pair of shoes
Comfort was important to me especially since my two big boys were walking down the aisle with me.  I decided on ballerina shoes and upon discussing the best colour fit with Michelle; I had them custom-made through a lady on Etsy.  It was very affordable and there were no regrets.




Must have dogs!
Where my wedding venue was concerned, it was a simple thing really:  My dogs must be there.  Flapper will be the ring bearer and all three must be with me throughout.  It did not make any cow sense to only have them there for the solemnisation and then ship them back home.  

Unconventional venues such as cafés were out of the question for the simple financial reasoning of breaking even.  Outdoor wedding venues were insanely expensive so I conceded to the option of hotels.   Whichever hotel said ‘yes’ to having the dogs, I would just sign on the dotted line right away.




VHC & a wedding just the way we want it
Long story short, I tried my luck at Village Hotel Changi (VHC).  When their management allowed for all three dogs to be there for the entire wedding and Flapper to be allowed indoors for the tea ceremony, I signed on the dotted line.  

We had a bit of problem with the holding capacity at VHC but by some stroke of genius, Ms Liang Pei Wen (my correspondence) suggested having a half-and-half wedding.  The families got the Chinese banquet style dinner indoors while friends were served buffet outdoors.  This means friends can turn up in tees and shorts.  It also means that we signed two packages and therefore, received twice the perks! 

I was able to offer one of the suites to two close friends who specially flew in for the wedding.  We were able to have an oriental theme for the indoor banquet, which satisfied our families, and a really cool 50’s décor for our outdoor wedding theme for friends.  We also had a little more budget and after some discussion, included three activities that signified our relationship: Pool table, Playstation ‘Guitar Hero’ and a karaoke set.








Once in a lifetime, indeed
There were many memorable moments from the wedding and till today, Ken and I speak very fondly of it.  We loved our wedding and were so glad we did it the way we did.  If I had to pick ‘Best Memories’, it would be:
Making mummy dearest so happy to see me in red and in the Qua
My solemnisation!  To have Flapper as my ring bearer with his snazzy top hat and Frodo, held by my dad, in his Dr Seuss hat was just priceless. 
The drunken husband.  Ken is a very poor drinker.  I think my question of the night was, “Have you seen my botak husband?”  Once, I found him asleep on the seat next to the pool table.  The next time, he had disappeared upstairs to the suite and crashed. 
The after party.  My UK and South African friends stayed up, and we created quite a ruckus at the pool till we were finally chased out at 2am.  We continued our party in the suite. 
I say it again – the biggest difference was having the dogs there with me.  They were not allowed to stay over with us but at least they were there throughout the wedding.
















One suit & top hats
I have a fantasy about little top hats too.  Flapper, being the gentleman got the classic black and white top hat to match my own.  Frodo, being the clown, got the Dr Seuss broad, red and white striped hat while Pebbles, otherwise known as Cruella de Vil, had her own narrow striped, black and white hat. 

Ken had always wanted a suit with a ‘beach’ feel.  So we had one made of linen at Men’s Club.  The suit was part of the Bridal Veil package.  Then we sourced for comfy shoes and yes, a hat.  I mean, surely, he gets a hat too right?















COMMENTS


Please before leave your comments.